Lasers help science and industry

Spectral analysis in our time is one of the most effective methods for determining the chemical composition of substan­ces, the method which science and industry are demanding more and more. They need more accurate and faster methods of analysis of the rapid technological processes taking place in conditions inaccessible to man. Leningrad physicists developed a method for using optical quantum generators for spectral analysis.

The research done by scientists showed that using the new method it is possible to increase considerably accuracy and speed of analysis and even to make it automatic. With quantum generators it is possible to carry out analyses of substances in unusual conditions, in particular, in vessels, where there is either an extremely rarefied atmosphere, or high pressure.

It is possible to carry out analyses inside industrial apparatus, in particular, in smelting furnaces during the smelting of metals. The me-thod developed makes the control of technological processes more rapid than ever.

Lasers have found one more interesting application in science. On the basis of radio-frequency quantum generator clocks were made measuring time with an accuracy of one second per 300 years. Modern scientific achievements make possible the manufacture of clocks which measure time with an even higher accuracy – of one second per tens of thou­sands of years. They are the atomic clocks. Atomic clocks measure time by the ceaseless vibrations within molecules and atoms. When atoms or molecules are excited by electrical energy, they emit electromagnetic waves such as light or ra­dio waves. By counting the number of waves in a certain pe­riod, a very accurate measure of time can be defined. These super-precise generators are not only of “academic interest”, many theories being proved with their help. They can also be applied in space and sea navigation. Without such genera­tors spaceships, for example, cannot be piloted accurately to other planets.

Notes:

to carry out …………….. vessels …………………. to rarefy ………………... furnace …………………. ceaseless ………………..

проводить сосуды, корабли, самолеты разрежать, разжижать печь непрерывный

Atomic clock puzzles scientists

An interesting case of the atomic clock that slows down sunrise and moonrise puzzled American scientists. The clock is the most accurate kind ever made and is Cape Fear, North Carolina. It works from the regular vibra­tions of cassium atoms and should keep exact time to an accu­racy of a few millionths of a second in a whole year. But for six months last year scientists carried out a continuous examinations on its ticks, comparing them with those of similar master clock in Washington and found that on most days the ticks started to go slightly slower soon after sunrise and then picked up again in the afternoon.

In 1967, when the scientists were taking the clock from Washington to Cape Fear, they found that the farther it was from the capital, the slower it ticked. No one has yet ex­plained it satisfactorily.

The first error added a second one – the daily sunrise error. At first the scientists thought this new error might be due to temperature changes between the day and night. But careful tests didn't prove it. So astronomers have another mystery to add to their numerous problems not yet solved.

Notes:

master clock …………… on most days …………... picked up again ………..

часы эталон большую часть дней зд. снова набирали скорость